In a continuing effort to improve the quality of shipping fruits, we, the inventors, typically hybridize a large number of nectarine, peach, plum, apricot, and cherry seedlings each year. The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of cherry tree, which has been denominated varietally as "Aaron Gee". The present invention was hybridized by us in 1982, and the resulting seedling was planted in a cultivated area of our experimental orchard at Bradford Farms near Le Grand, Calif. in Merced County (San Joaquin Valley). Specifically, the seedling was originated by using an unnamed cherry seedling as the selected seed parent and an unnamed cherry seedling as the selected pollen parent. However, the unnamed seed parent was a seedling of an open pollinated Bing Cherry Tree (unpatented), making the present variety a second generation seedling of the Bing.
The instant variety is similar to its grandparent, the Bing Cherry, by being self-sterile and by producing dark red fruit that is crack resistant, but is distinguished from that variety by being larger in size, 3 days earlier in ripening, and less prone to doubling.
The present variety is most similar to the Tulare Cherry (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 6,407) by producing fruit that is dark red in color, resistant to cracking, and not prone to doubling, but is distinguished from that variety by being more vigorous, more productive, and producing fruit that is much larger in size, 5 days later in maturing, and that has a shorter stem.
Subsequent to origination of the present variety of cherry tree, we asexually reproduced it by budding and grafting, and such reproduction of plant and fruit characteristics were true to the original plant in all respects.